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{
    "id": 380905,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/380905/?format=api",
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    "content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, we, in the Committee on Devolution, requested the Transition Authority (TA) to put before us an audit of the assets and liabilities of counties. The Chairman will concur with me that we do not really have a comprehensive report to that effect. More so, we in the Committee on Finance, Commerce and Economic Affairs, do not have a comprehensive report of audited accounts of all these county governments before they took over or before they receive this money that we are talking about. So, we are putting money in a receptacle that may not be very steady in receiving or using this money. These are realities that we must talk about to see what is going to happen in county governments in the next couple of months. The Bill, on page 10, paragraph 2, talks about economic disparities among counties as well as disadvantaged areas and groups within counties. I want to read it to hon. Senators because it is very important for all of us to understand. Part of it says:- “This fund will be used to finance development programmes that aim to reduce regional disparities among counties. It is also expected that the establishment of county governments should facilitate the compilation of official data on economic disparities within counties, as well as disadvantaged areas and groups within counties.” Madam Temporary Speaker, I would like to be enlightened on whether there is any county which has compiled data on economic disparities. This is the basis upon which they will use this fund to finance those disparities which will reduce inequalities among them. I am quite sure that a lot of counties will receive this money and they will say: “Well, we need to build market stalls,” even if they will not reduce inequalities or disparities. Or they will say: “Fine, we need to put up houses for county officials.” In other words, I am not quite sure whether this operationalization is realistic or possible. Yet it is so important that if money will be allocated to reduce inequalities, there must be data. For example, we can say in Kitui County, these are the kind of sectors in which if money is spent, it will reduce inequalities drastically and it will be like Murang’a County. In other words, due to the inequalities that exist, the money should be used for specifically targeting those inequalities. Madam Temporary Speaker, I am quite sure that this kind of work has not been done. In any case, since counties have just been there for a few months, to expect them to have established official data on economic disparities, is asking too much from them. We could say that this official data should come from the Transition Authority (TA). Did the TA make available to counties data like this? They should advise them, when they get this Equalization Fund where to spend it. Did the Ministry of Devolution do so? Somebody should have done it, because we are voting money to do that. In the Bill, we are saying: “This is how money should be spent,” and yet we have not established the basis for spending that money. I am afraid in this first budget, there will be tremendous ‘mis-expenditure,’ if there is any such word in the English language, of monies voted to counties, especially to reduce this very important issue called inequalities and disparities. We must remember that one of the very fundamental reasons for devolution was to improve equity and the equitable distribution of resources and equitable expenditure of The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}